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Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier

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An overhead view of Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union N.G. Kuznetsov.
Kuznetsov in January 1996
Class overview
NameKuznetsov class
BuildersChernomorskiy Shipyard 444 Dalian Shipbuilding Industry
Operators
Preceded byTemplate:Sclass-
Succeeded by
Subclasses
Built1982 – 2019 (estimated)
In commission25 December 1990 – present
Building1
Active2
General characteristics
Class and typeHeavy aircraft-carrying cruiser
Displacement
  • 43,000-tonnes, light[1][2]
  • 53,000 – 55,200-tonnes, standard[1][2][3]
  • 58,600 – 67,500-tonnes, max[1][2]
Length305 m (1,001 ft)
Beam72 m (236 ft)
Draught11 m (36 ft)
Propulsion
  • Steam turbines 80,000 shp (60,000 kW)[3]
  • 200,000 shp (150,000 kW)
Speed29 kn (54 km/h; 33 mph)
Range8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) @ 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) 3,800 nmi (7,000 km; 4,400 mi) @ 29 kn (54 km/h; 33 mph)
Complement1,500
Armament
Aircraft carried
  • 30–50[4]
  • 18–32 × fixed wing aircraft
  • 17–24 × helicopters
Aviation facilities

The Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrying cruiser was the last class of aircraft carrier commissioned into the Soviet Navy. The design represented a major advance in Soviet fleet aviation over the Template:Sclass- carriers, which could only launch VSTOL aircraft. As the first Soviet carriers to be built with aircraft ski-jumps, the Kuznetsov-class cruisers were capable of launching high-performance conventional aircraft. Only the lead ship Admiral Kuznetsov was completed and commissioned into the Soviet Navy, and the ship now serves in the Russian Navy.

The design was adopted decades later by the Chinese Navy as its first class of aircraft carriers, receiving a type designation of Type 001. The aircraft carrier Liaoning was commissioned in 2012 after a protracted 27-year construction period in Ukraine and China. A Type 001A ship was launched in 2017 and is expected to be commissioned in 2019.

Role

The Kuznetsov-class ships were described by their Soviet builders as tyazholiy avianesushchiy kreyser (TAKR or TAVKR) – “heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser” – intended to support and defend strategic missile-carrying submarines, surface ships, and maritime missile-carrying aircraft of the Soviet fleet. In its fleet defense role, Admiral Kuznetsov's P-700 Granit (SS-N-19 NATO reporting name: Shipwreck) anti-ship cruise missiles, 3K95 Kinzhal (Gauntlet) surface-to-air missiles, and Su-33 (Flanker-D) aircraft are its main weapons. The fixed-wing aircraft on Kuznetsov are intended for air superiority operations to protect a deployed task force. The carrier also carries numerous helicopters for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and search and rescue (SAR) operations.

Transiting the Turkish Straits

See also: Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits § Aircraft carriers

Kuznetsov's classification as an aircraft-carrying cruiser is very important for the purposes of international law. Under the Montreux Convention, aircraft carriers heavier than 15,000 tons may not pass through the Turkish Straits. Since Kuznetsov exceeds the displacement limit, it would have been stuck in the Black Sea if Turkey had treated it as an aircraft carrier. However, there is no tonnage restriction on capital ships operated by Black Sea Powers.[5] Turkey allowed Admiral Kuznetsov to pass through the Straits, and no other signatory to the Montreux Convention has objected to its designation as an aircraft cruiser.[6]

The Chinese Navy considers its Type 001 ships to be aircraft carriers.[7] The Chinese Type 001 aircraft carrier Liaoning is armed with air defense weapons, and it is not equipped with the anti-ship missiles or anti-submarine rockets that are on Kuznetsov.[8]

Design

Hull and flight deck

The hull design is derived from the 1982 Template:Sclass-,[9] but is larger. The ships are the first Soviet carriers to be designed with a full-length flight deck. The foredeck is dedicated to aviation instead of surface weaponry, as on the Kiev-class ships. The ship's 12 anti-ship cruise missiles are located in launchers below the flight deck.

The aircraft carriers are of a STOBAR configuration: Short Take-Off But Arrested Recovery. Short take-off is achieved by using a 12-degree ski-jump on the bow. There is also an angled deck with arresting wires, which allows aircraft to land without interfering with launching aircraft. The flight deck has a total area of 14,700 square metres (158,000 sq ft). Two aircraft elevators, on the starboard side forward and aft of the island, move aircraft between the hangar deck and the flight deck.

Air wing

In the original project specifications, the ship should be able to carry up to 33 fixed-wing aircraft and 12 helicopters .[3]

Armament

To comply with the Montreux Convention restricting the transit of aircraft carriers through the Turkish Straits, the Kuznetsov-class ships were originally designed as aircraft cruisers. Kuznetsov carries twelve launchers for P-700 Granit (SS-N-19 Shipwreck) anti-ship surface-to-surface missiles, which also form the main armament of the Kirov-class battlecruisers. The heavy surface armament makes Kuznetsov different from other countries' aircraft carriers, which carry only defensive armament and rely on their aircraft for strike power.

For long-range air defense, Kuznetsov carries 24 vertical launchers for Tor missile system (SA-N-9 Gauntlet) surface-to-air missiles with 192 missiles. For close-range air defense, the ship carries eight Kashtan Close-in weapon system (CIWS) mounts. Each mount has two launchers for 9M311 SAMs, twin GSh-30 30mm rotary cannons, and a radar/optronic director. The ship also carries six AK-630 30mm rotary cannons in single mounts. For defense against underwater attack, the ship carries the UDAV-1 ASW rocket launcher.

In the late 2000s, the Russian Navy reportedly removed the old Granit missile tubes to make room for a larger hangar bay, though it was never clear that they were ever really removed. During a major overhaul set to begin in September 2017, the P-700 tubes will be replaced with new vertical launch tubes capable of housing newer Kalibr and P-800 Oniks cruise missiles.[10]

Electronics

A Su-33 on board Admiral Kuznetsov

Kuznetsov has D/E band air and surface target acquisition radar (passive electronically scanned array), F band surface search radar, G/H band flight control radar, I band navigation radar, and four K band fire-control radars for the Kashtan CIWS.

The ship has hull-mounted medium- and low-frequency search and attack sonar. The ASW helicopters have surface search radar, dipping sonar, sonobuoys, and magnetic anomaly detectors.

Propulsion and performance

Admiral Kuznetsov is conventionally powered by eight gas-fired boilers and four steam turbines, each producing 50,000 hp (37 MW), driving four shafts with fixed-pitch propellers. The maximum speed is 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph), and her range at maximum speed is 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi). At 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph), her maximum economical range is 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi).

Reliability

Since the inauguration of Admiral Kuznetsov it has been plagued by years of technical problems. The vessel's steam turbines and turbo-pressurised boilers have been reported to be so unreliable that the carrier is accompanied by a large ocean-going tug whenever it deploys, in case it breaks down. Other problems include flaws in the water piping system, which causes it to freeze during winter. To prevent pipes bursting, the water is turned off to most of the cabins and half the latrines do not work.[11]

Type 001 design changes

The Chinese Type 001 ships are configured as aircraft carriers. The cruise missile launchers were never installed, and the launcher base was removed during the refit. The air-defense system consists of FL-3000N surface-to-air-missiles and the Type 1130 CIWS.[8][12]

Type 001A design changes

Several design changes were made to the Type 001A aircraft carrier. The ship has a revised flight deck arrangement, as well as a modified island for the 3-D phased array radar.[13]

List of ships

Name Namesake Operator Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned Status
Admiral Kuznetsov
(ex-Riga, ex-Leonid Brezhnev, ex-Tblisi) 		Nikolay Gerasimovich Kuznetsov  Russian Navy Soviet Shipyard No. 444 1 April 1982 6 December 1985 25 December 1990 Active
Type 001 subclass
Liaoning
(ex-Riga, ex-Varyag) 		Liaoning Province  People's Liberation Army Navy Soviet Shipyard No. 444 6 December 1985 4 December 1988 25 September 2012 Active
Dalian naval shipyard (completion)
Type 001A subclass
Type 001A  People's Liberation Army Navy Dalian Shipbuilding 2013 26 April 2017 2019 est Launched[14]

Hull 1 – Admiral Kuznetsov

Admiral Kuznetsov underway in 2012
Main article: Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov

Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov was designed by the Neva Design Bureau, St. Petersburg, and built at the Nikolayev South Shipyard (Chernomorskoye Shipyard) in the Ukrainian SSR. She was launched in 1985, commissioned in 1990, and became fully operational in 1995. The vessel was briefly sequentially named Riga, Leonid Brezhnev, and Tbilisi.[3] During the winter of 1995–1996 Admiral Kuznetsov deployed to the Mediterranean Sea to mark the 300th anniversary of the Russian Navy. In the autumn of 2000, Admiral Kuznetsov went to sea for rescue and salvage operations for the submarine Kursk. During the winter of 2007–2008, Admiral Kuznetsov again deployed to the Mediterranean. Most recently "Admiral Kuznetsov" was deployed to the Mediterranean during the winter of 2016-2017.

Although technical and financial problems have limited operations, Admiral Kuznetsov is expected to remain in service to 2025.[citation needed]

Hull 2 – Liaoning

Main article: Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning

The second hull of the Kuznetsov class took a much more roundabout route to active service. Known first as Riga and then Varyag, she was laid down by the Nikolayev South Shipyard in 1985 and launched in 1988. Varyag had not yet been commissioned when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, and the ship was left to deteriorate in the elements. In 1998, the hull was sold by Ukraine to what was apparently a Chinese travel agency for ostensible use as a floating hotel and casino.[15] After an eventful journey under tow, she arrived in China in February 2002 and was berthed at the Dalian naval shipyard, where she was overhauled and completed as China's first aircraft carrier.[16]

In September 2012, the ship was commissioned in the Chinese navy as Liaoning.[17] The 27-year period between laying down and commissioning is the most protracted construction period for any aircraft carrier, longer than the 18-year period for INS Vikrant. Liaoning was named after the province where the shipyard is located, and the Chinese ship class is Type 001. Today, she serves as a training carrier and its home port is Qingdao.[18]

Hull 3 – Type 001A

See also: Type 001A aircraft carrier

The second Chinese aircraft carrier was constructed according to a modified design, known as Type 001A. Satellite imagery and photos have revealed some differences from the original Kuznetsov-class design, reflecting over 30 years of technological development since the first ship in the class was laid down. The ship was laid down in 2013 at the Dalian naval shipyard and was launched on 26 April 2017. It is expected to embark on sea trials in 2019.[19][20]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Kuznetsov". Rusnavy.com. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  2. ^ a b c "Kuznetsov Class – Project 1143.5". Globalsecurity.org. 7 September 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d Ударные корабли, Том 11, часть 1, Ю.В. Апалков, Галея Принт, Санкт-Петербург, 2003
  4. ^ a b c http://www.bbc.com/zhongwen/trad/world/2016/10/161026_spain_russia_carrier
  5. ^ Miller, David V.; Hine, Jr., Jonathan T. (31 January 1990). Soviet Carriers in the Turkish Straits (PDF). Newport, Rhode Island: Naval War College.
  6. ^ John Pike. "Montreux Convention 1936". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  7. ^ Tao, Zhang (20 October 2015). "Captain delegation of U.S. Navy visits Chinese Liaoning aircraft carrier". Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China.
  8. ^ a b "Type 001 aircraft carrier Liaoning". SinoDefence. 14 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Kuznetsov Class (Type 1143.5) Heavy Aircraft Carrying Cruiser, Russia". Naval-technology.com. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  10. ^ Russia's Putin drafts new rearmament program - Defensenews.com, 26 May 2017
  11. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/21/russian-carrier-plagued-by-technical-problems/
  12. ^ "Chinese Navy Liaoning Aircraft Carrier's H/PJ-14 (Type 1130) new generation CIWS". Navy Recognition. 21 March 2013.
  13. ^ Tate, Andrew (26 September 2016). "Further progress made on China's Type 001A carrier". IHS Jane's Defence Weekly.
  14. ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/26/asia/china-second-aircraft-carrier-launch/
  15. ^ "Giant vessel shuts the Bosphorus". BBC News. 1 November 2001.
  16. ^ "China's first aircraft carrier 'starts sea trials'". BBC News. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  17. ^ "China's Liaoning carrier enters service". SpaceWar.com. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  18. ^ "Liaoning Ship's first berthing at home port". People's Daily. 1 March 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  19. ^ "Work under way on China's second aircraft carrier at Dalian yard". South China Morning Post. 19 January 2014.
  20. ^ Yao, Jianing (21 February 2017). "2nd carrier almost complete". China Military.
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